


The Emperor's Judgment

by msjedimaster



Category: Warhammer - All Media Types, Warhammer 40.000
Genre: Female Space Marine, if that's not your jam move along please, to each there own
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-08 00:54:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11070666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msjedimaster/pseuds/msjedimaster





	The Emperor's Judgment

They were, but one small vessel of the Red Corsairs Warband ordered to complete a series of scavenging attacks in Imperial Space before returning to the fleet. The last mission being an attack small mining colony on the fringes of Imperial Space.

Artemis Borona paced circles into the deck floor of the ‘Dark Lady.’ She resented her assignment to this vessel and now even more than that, the missions she was being ordered to carryout against defenseless worlds. But, the Warband needed supplies, and Blackheart himself had assigned her to this run. Content at last that the ship-master and deck crew weren’t slacking Artemis stalked down the Dark Lady’s levels toward the armory where her fellow squads of space marines and an assortment of mercenaries and serfs were all prepared for the coming battle.

Artemis felt a strange uneasy about the battle to come; she had not fought on planets this often in many years. Not since before she had sworn fealty to Huron Blackheart…

“Captain, coming to check on your lowly crew?” A mercenary by the name of Erin Burr grinned large gaps of missing teeth visible.

“I have to check on you fools. You are all arming as I ordered I hope.” Artemis raised her voice an octave and gave the room, in general, a pointed glare. She was mostly ignored by the other Red Corsairs, but the mercenaries and serfs all acknowledged the command with nods across the room.

Burr scoffed, brushing back dark hair from her face. “Of course Captain, when have we not obeyed your orders?” She bowed mockingly.

Artemis hand landed on the hilt of her chainsword. “Let us see, the last three missions we have run you have disobeyed orders. Which lead to more casualties and the loss of two ships we were meant to capture.” She let slip a low growl. “Do so on this mission, and I will personally execute you for mutiny.”

Burr twisted a smile as she loaded her pistol. “What they say about Imperial Fists is true, stick right up the ass. Even when you’re sworn to Blackheart…you’re still one of them inside.” Erin didn’t even have time to react Artemis closed the distance between them and landed a blow to the woman’s chest that sent her sprawling backward landing on the floor with a sickening crunch of ribs. Artemis grinned and took several steps toward Erin she raised her chainsword but stopped herself the armory had gone silent.

_You are the captain now, end her._ The snide voice in Artemis’s head snarled, she turned toward the serfs. “Take her to the apothecary, and let this be a lesson to all of you. None of you are so important that I would not break or kill you.”

The human crew returned to their previous preparations as did most of her battle-brothers. Except for her first mate a burly astarte by the name of Layfen. He stalked over to her grinning broadly.

“I put her up to that you know, I figured when you were given the command you wouldn’t last. But that, that right there showed me you could lead. It’ll be a pleasure to follow you down to raze that pathetic little world.”

Artemis didn’t respond turning instead to leave the armory, her cape billowing behind her. She took a less direct route to her quarters walking more slowly than normal.

_When did I become this?_ She glanced at the grim walls of the vessel, although it was a chaos warband. They were far from the most corrupted, and their intentions. At least at the beginning, had been noble. Then again so had her own, she had fought and served the Imperium for 300 hundred years. Until her defense of a civilian population against an insane Inquisitor was deemed heretical. Artemis had escaped with only a handful of civilians and Battle-Brother Thaddeos who agreed with her standing. The remainder of her company and chapter had then turned against them venomously. She stolen a ship and taken them to the darkest edges of space. As the dark gods would have it, Blackheart had run across her and recruited her. Thaddeos had died on his first raid, there had been no body to return, and no gene-seed was retrieved a terrible waste to the growing warband. Artemis continued to mourn his death still now several years later. He had ever been her second-in-command, honest to a flaw and a fountain of wise council. He had been passed up for promotion to captain, would things have been different if he had been captain?

Artemis shook her head, yes a world would have burned. For all his wise counsel, Thaddeos would have never dreamed on his own of standing against the inquisition.

Artemis, at last, arrived in her private quarters, she keyed in her access code and stepped inside her room. She had left her bolter on a table. It rarely saw use she preferred to meet her enemies in hand to hand combat. The slice of her chainsword tearing through flesh and bone left her in a euphoria little else could match. We deny it, but every single _Space Marine serves the Blood God. Willingly or not. And those damn Inquisitors too, oh how they’d deny it._ Artemis smirked imagining Inquisitor Havans horror if he were to come to that realization.

She reached for her bolter and attached it to her belt then retrieved her helmet from its place beside her bed. Her armor had hastily been painted red the color of the warband she now served; she had refused to allow the helm to meet the same fate. It still carried the colors of the Imperial Fists, despite several attempts to justify the decision to herself. The story she most often gave when asked by another was the irony of allowing others to know what she had been before. The mockery of the Imperial Fists. Some truth to it, no matter what she had become now. She could not deny her training and years of service as an Imperial Fist. _Erin was right,_ Artemis glanced down at the helmet attached to her hip and shook her head. _Once an Imperial Fist, always an Imperial Fist._

The final preparation and initial attack met with little resistance, although a small planet they had some planetary defense that warned the primary cities and had allowed them to evacuate to shelters. It seemed a waste to attack them; instead, the pirates looted the materials from there refineries and handful of settlements killing those who had remained behind. Artemis was alongside the final shipment of stolen goods when a transmission began playing through the vox system on all channels. All the techpriest could offer was to turn off the system until they were out of range.

“Artemis Borona former captain of the 7th company of the Imperial Fists. If you have any honor you filthy traitor, you will find me and face me.” Artemis knew the voice, and it didn’t seem possible it was him. She had gone straight to Layfen waiting for them on the Thunderhawk.

“You told me Thaddeos was dead!” Artemis caught Layfen off guard and had him pinned him against the Thunderhawk’s wall holding him tightly. He struggled for a moment before she raised her chainsword to his neck.

“We couldn’t find him. We assumed he was dead. There was no way someone escaped that attack. Everyone knew Huron sent us to attack those Grey Knights to kill you both.” Layfen gritted his teeth knowing he had said too much. Artemis released him and then snapped into her vox. “Trace the transmission, and I want coordinates now!”

Several tense moments had passed before the techpriest gave the coordinates, she turned back to Layfen who had a hand on his bolter and a snarl on his face.

“Wait for me one hour, if I’m not back. It looks like you’ll be captain you honorless bastard, hope you enjoy your run until the crew gets tired of following your rules.” Artemis smiled grimly, Erin Burr would have the Dark Lady’s crew up in arms in no time. Layfen and the other space marines maybe an intimidating physical force, none where leaders. Burr would be captain as soon as she recovered. And more than likely all three squads of Astartes would die in mysterious circumstances…

Artemis smiled again, that would be the best thing Burr could do kill more of these honorless bastards. She turned and walked away ignoring Layfen’s response and the outcry of another crew member. They tried to reach her on several vox frequencies but she shut it off entirely. It took her minutes to reach the location, the center of one of the mining refineries. The source of the message was a small vox-radio set to repeat. Artemis sighed removing her helmet and placing it at her feet, after a moment her chainsword and bolter followed. And after several tedious minutes, her power armor lay in a jumbled heap upon the floor. She surveyed the room. He had been here there was no doubt of it, and he had not been alone.

“All I have done wrong, I did in service of the Imperium, my chapter and to honor my Primarch. I submit myself at the judgment of you Thaddeos.” Artemis knelt, head down she began her prayers of repentance.

“Heretics can never be forgiven.”

The voice came from behind her; she didn’t bother to turn to face it instead remained on her knees she finishing her prayer. “I never betrayed the Emperor or the Primarch. Only those would slander both with mindless and needless slaughter.”

Artemis could hear Thaddeos draw his power sword. “Even so, we are but weapons of the Emperor it is not our place to stand against the inquisition. I should have told you so on Xarvan. You would have listened to me.”

“You’re right; you should have. But enough of this, deliver the Emperor’s judgment upon me. I know my guilt, and I must be punished.”

“Quite right.” Was the last words Artemis had heard Thaddeos heavy footsteps behind her and all went black.

 

_Peace at last._

 

When she awoke she was onboard the Thunderhawk, Layfen gave her a malicious grin. “You are crazy Artemis, but you’re the best captain we’ve had in a century. It is good I found you alive.” Artemis glanced to her side; there lay her armor and weapons. Absent from the pile was her yellow helm.

“Where is my helm?” Artemis gritted her teeth, pain seared in several places she could feel wounds in a half dozen places oozing blood.

Layfen licked his lips and responded slowly running a hand through his shaggy hair. “It wasn’t with your armor, whoever did this to you took it.”

Artemis didn’t respond; instead she grunted and closed her eyes. _So this is the Emperor’s Judgment…_


End file.
